InterContinental Hotels Group has confirmed the U.K. locations for new Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants and voco Hotels properties after absorbing several sites from Covivio, positioning IHG as one of the leading luxury hotel operators in the country.
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants will open four properties across the U.K. The London hotel will be located in Bloomsbury and is currently operating as the Principal London, a landmark property first opened in 1898. In Manchester, the new Kimpton will occupy the existing Principal Manchester, a hotel spread across three historic, century-old buildings. Scotland will gain two Kimpton hotels: one in Edinburgh, currently the Principal Edinburgh Charlotte Square, a building dating back to 1791, and one in Glasgow, currently the Principal Blythswood Square Hotel, which previously served as the headquarters for the Royal Scottish Automobile Association.
The voco Hotels brand will make its debut in Cardiff by taking over the Principal St. David’s Hotel, a waterfront property overlooking Cardiff Bay. Additional voco openings in the U.K. are anticipated in the near future as IHG expands the brand’s footprint.
In addition to the Kimpton and voco conversions, IHG has announced plans to rebrand other Principal properties. The Principal Edinburgh George Street is scheduled to become an InterContinental property in late 2019, while the Principal Met Leeds Hotel is slated to join the Hotel Indigo brand in 2020. These conversions form part of IHG’s broader strategy to grow its luxury and lifestyle portfolio across key U.K. cities.
By integrating these historic and prominent hotels into its Kimpton, voco, InterContinental and Hotel Indigo portfolios, IHG strengthens its presence in Britain’s major urban centers, combining distinctive local character with the groups’ global standards for service and hospitality.